Extreme Tomato Plant Pruning

[JohnnyRock]

Hey Chuck,

Thanks for your excellent videos and posts here on T'ville. You're a great asset to our community!

I have few questions for you... I'm curious about your soil and amendments. It seems to be rather sandy, but perhaps it's just the videos. What kind of compost do you use when you plant? Have your tomatoes started to ripen yet, and what is your typical length of fruit production?

[ChuckBartok]

JohnnyRock and everyone,

[code]
I have few questions for you...
I'm curious about your soil and amendments.
It seems to be rather sandy,
but perhaps it's just the videos.
What kind of compost do you use when you plant?
Have your tomatoes started to ripen yet,
and what is your typical length of fruit production?
[/code]

1. Soil: Where these tomatoes are planted is really an old calf holding pen and I brought in Road base years ago.So each Plant was planted in large dug hole filled with my Compost Mix.Drain very fast, so water monitoring is critical....
2. I have been using a "pile system" of Horse stall waste, leaves and other Yard Green waste, household Green waste, and water. Turned with Pitchfork.
3. Am setting up NEW anerobic system. with finished product in 21 days. Will have affordable Kit available within weeks. Some Component available now. Call me 530-798-0245.
4. Tomatoes are just starting to turn this AM June 14th.Some precocious Ace.
5. We usually harvest through October, and in the past were able to pick and finish ripeneing inside through November. Of course "fried Green Tomatoes" are standard fare in November and December.

Here is an Ace plant June 11th

[COgarden]

Chuck,
The audio with the new transfer method works great! Thanks for tracking down a solution. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Kurt

[bbb123]

Originally Posted by COgarden

Chuck,
The audio with the new transfer method works great! Thanks for tracking down a solution. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Kurt

Yeh whatever you did is much better. I thought it was my internet connection.

[ChuckBartok]

Funny how reading the instructions helps.....

On windows Movie Maker, FREE on all windows platforms, there are many choices to Download and Save the videos form Camera.

I just needed to take an hour and read the options and then figure wht is best.

The decision is where you want the final product to go.

Thanks for your support.

By the way if anyone iss interested in producing Videoops with audio, my "coach" and good friend Lon Naylor has just introduced a great program to "make your own" videos like a pro.

Joining as FREE offer wonderful tutorials, upgrading of course gives MORE quality info and personl consult with Lon

Screen Cast Profit Free membership

The 97 minute Video tutorial is worht your time if you want o Improve Video making.
It is helping me

[ChuckBartok]

We finally bushed color.
Here is Video on Week 12

Posted bothe at Yahoo.. I think better quality

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2948965/8429515

and you Tube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HSk_KT9XFbI

I appreciate your comments and ratings.

It is getting exciting out here in Northern California.

Picking about 2-3# KY beans daily.
More next week. Neighbors are lining up.
Also Cucumbers are so big and sweet this year

Thank you all for your friendship

[robin303]

Chuck maybe I’m off topic here a tad bit but I have a bunch of green beans that are flowering and really growing wonderful but my temps are like 100+ for the next few months and they are just now not putting out. Should I just pull them to save the water, but the good thing and maybe not is the extreme shade for other plants.
By the way thanks for your wisdom and imput here on this site.
Thanks Robin

[ChuckBartok]

Robin,

but I have a bunch of green beans that are flowering and really growing wonderful but my temps are like 100+ for the next few months and they are just now not putting out. Should I just pull them to save the water, but the good thing and maybe not is the extreme shade for other plants

.

I also have been in the hundred and just off for the past few weeks, but we cool in the evenings down to 60s.

I usually figure Pole beans will Produce here in Nor cal until; mid -end July. Our real heat cranks up in August and September 105+ and 80's nights, but we are lower humidity than you.

What variety?.
When did you plant?
Are you keeping the Water to them?

Yes they do provide nice shade and some cooling for my melons and Cucumbers.

The vines are well over 7' tall

I plant old standard KY Wonder Pole.

We then plant back in Sept. for a quick shot before frost, usually get some harvested through Thanksgiving.

Just finsihed eating a nice mess of beans with the last of our spring Spinach.

Call anytime to shoot the breeze, daylight Pacific
530798-0245

[ChuckBartok]

I did another video, Week 13.

Both on YouTube and Yahoo.
Strange, Sound good on You Tibe, picture not
Yahoo has good picturs and sound a little off.

Enjoy

Yahoo
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2996789/8573094

YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE3c0xpdTFU

By the way, getting Videos on our
Lacewing "working" finished (gobbling up aphids)
and will have new Blog up soon on
Complete Bio-Control System for the Garden.
I am excited.

[organichris]

Thanks again for documenting your progress. It really is helpful. Keep up the good work. I'm just now catching up on your vids. I watched weeks 12 and 13. They are coming along nicely.

[Crone]

Originally Posted by jhp

I think that's one part of the flavor equation we need not forget! However you grow your tomatoes, vine ripening is important, IMO.

From my experience (which is only 15 years' worth of gardening - much less than many of you), vine ripening is not that important. Plant variety is the main thing. We have a short growing season where I live (Zone 3) and some years are better than others. If there's an earlier-than-usual frost, and it appears that too-cool weather will be continuous, not just a one-shot thing, I don't want to knock myself out trying to cover all those tomatoes in the evening, then uncover in the morning and then do it again for days & days.

So, I just pick the whole crop, and I find that they after ripening either in a cool room or on a sunny windowsill, they taste as good as they did in a growing year with more warm weather for vine ripening. This does not apply to small, very dark green ones, tho.

As for pruning, the first year I gardened, 1994, I planted 3 dozen Brandywine that I started in the house. I did not prune at all, nor did I stake. I didn't know a thing. I just let them sprawl everywhere. I had the greatest crop of all time. Each plant was covered with large, tasty tomatoes. I am not saying don't prune - I do now because I need the space - but you just never know!

[ChuckBartok]

From my experience (which is only 15 years' worth of gardening - much less than many of you), vine ripening is not that important

Crone,

15 years of doing anything is experience!

You are correct the variety of tomato will play into "taste" if picked earlier than 100% vine-ripe.

We do pick with Good Color and leave on porch, in a bag for day or so, and will enjoy the flavor.

In commercial operations we used the following chart.

http://www.hallsmith-sysco.com/pdf/p...NG%20CHART.pdf

I pick pink and above later in the season, and just before threat of frost we pull vines and hang in the barn. There will be continous ripening...
Not a strong on flavor but still better than most "store Purchased Tomatoes", because some a picked befor the second color .

[lightt]

There recently was a link posted on GW to a Kansas State University Extension article that explained why it is not only OK, but in many circumstances preferable to pick tomatoes prior to being fully ripe. This is probably more interesting to those who have pest pressures -- especially from pests that wait until the fruit is a just day or so from being fully ripe!

I'm one of those who (at least subconsciously) bought into the grocery store and roadside market "vine ripened" hype although for various reasons I’ve occasionally brought in unripe fruit but didn’t note any taste differences.

I was not aware of a membrane forming that seals the tomato stem -- which pretty much voids the entire concept of "vine ripening"!!

* Inside mature green tomatoes on the vine, two growth-regulating hormones change dramatically, causing the fruit to start producing ethylene gas. The gas makes the fruit cells age – soften, begin to lose their green and develop red, and produce more ethylene .. and so on.
* At the same time, a layer of cells starts to form across a joint in the stem, about one-half inch above the fruit. These cells will seal off the tomato so no additional materials can move into or from the plant.
“By the time the tomato has its first blush of red color, the layer of cells – called an abcision zone – is complete, and you can pick the tomato with no loss of flavor or quality,” Marr said. “If left on the vine after that, all the tomato will do is hang there, disconnected, going through the rest of the ripening process.”

Here's the url for the entire article: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/20...toes071805.htm

Terry Light

[elkwc36]

Mr Marr wrote many informative articles. But I still remember in the 80's when they backed commercial fertilizers and then a few years ago I believe just before he retired was endorsing manure and organic means. He was willing to change and this is one article I can't remember reading. Thanks for sharing it. JD

[ChuckBartok]

Fantastic information Terry,

The reason we always did well at our Roadside Stand" is we educated, along with provided naturally grown (as best as economically possible) Produce.

The atricle on Tomato "ripening" is Fantastic.But we still like to pick after "Pink".

Maybe ther eis a placebo effect.
I have tasted tomatoes picked at all stages, and feel
after PINK is best.